Haunted History
by Jex the Jagged
Summary: My take on the life of Severus Snape with my own twists here and there. It begins with his childhood and to end with the first day Harry Potter walks into Hogwarts. I own nothing, except Jex, everything else belongs to JKR. On Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter

They had another fight again. It was getting worse now. His mother was kind, she constantly tried to keep him from becoming his father's punching bag. His father, a muggle, thought he was a freak, a mistake by nature... Severus Snape welcomed his flat, worn bed. The covers were measly. He was most cold in the night. His mother would occasionally check on him when his father had left after a drunken rage. She would make sure he was alright before tucking him in and summoning another blanket.

That blanket would always be gone before he woke in the morning. Severus covered his head with his pillow, trying not to cry. He wish he had that blanket right now.

They were still arguing. "—bitch! That child is an abomination and so are you Eileen!"

"You can't touch him anymore! Just leave him alone Tobias!" His mother shouted right back.

There was a large crashing sound of glass and the slamming of a door. Severus tensed up in the silence. What was going to happen now? Had his father stormed out in a rage? Or was it his mother that had left him? The boy drew in a deep breath as the door began to creak open. He was suspecting his father to come barging in suddenly and begin beating him.

Yet... It was his mother. "Severus? Are you alright little one?" She asked, smiling brightly despite the fact that she looked hurt.

He couldn't stop himself, he ran over to his mother and hugged her. The next thing he knew, he was being dragged along. "Mum?" He asked with an unusual nervousness in his voice. "Don't worry sweetie. We're just going out for a little..." Eileen Snape was an exact carbon copy of him, except a woman. They shared the same black hair, black eyes and pale skin. Severus only didn't have the lankiness of his mother's hair. His was, for right now, slightly curvy and spiky. It was from his father. Severus took his mother's hand as they quickly walked towards town.

He dared not speak again as his Mother sped through the grocery store. He knew she was doing this to get her anger through, to put her mind on other things... Severus slowly walked after her. When were they going to leave his father? Couldn't they just run away from him? "Mum?" Eileen Snape stopped, looking down at her son. "Yes Severus?"

He looked across the street at the small pet store. His Mother followed his gaze and she sighed. "Alright Severus, but meet back at the entrance of the park at 12 so we can go have a little picnic." Severus smiled slightly at this before watching his mother enter a clothing store. He quickly made his way across the street and to the window of the pet store.

He stared into the store longingly. There was a black cat in there. He really liked it. Severus had secretly been saving money to get it, but he didn't know where he would keep it. His father would certainly kill it for some type of sick, twisted pleasure. He had a list of names for the cat already. Maybe he'd name it Nostradamus or Aristotle. It certainly depended.

Severus turned to go back to the clothing store, having seen the sign on the door that had said it was close. "Watch out!" He barely had time to look at who was barreling towards him.

He was knocked over before he could step back. Another boy that was either a year older than him or his age smirked down at him, for he had stopped. Severus found his eye color extremely odd. It was the first thing that stood out about him. His eyes were a bright gold. "Sorry 'bout that." The boy said quickly before looking over his shoulder. Severus quickly scrambled onto his feet.

"Come back here!" A meaty man cried, huffing and puffing as he ran towards them. The boy looked at Severus before taking his arm and slapping something into his hand. "'Ou better run." The boy remarked before turning and tearing off down the sidewalk, gone in a blink of the eye. Severus looked down at the thing in his hand before gasping. It was a wallet! The man that had been chasing after the other boy was beginning to slow down. His face held cold fury that reminded him to much of his Father. He took a look back in the direction that the boy had run off at and then turned to look at the man who was closing in on him.

_RUN!_ His whole body screamed at him, but his mind was telling him not to. He looked down at the wallet again before his body took control. Severus ran off and heard the cry of anger as the man cried, "Stop!" He didn't stop. The man would have hurt him had he stayed behind. He kept running, unaware of someone else running beside him for the longest moment before a hand latched on his black shirt and dragged into an alleyway. He was prepared to get beaten, but there was a lighthearted laugh.

Severus opened his eyes, staring into the face of the golden-eyed boy. "Sorry, I had to dump that onto 'ou." The boy took the wallet from his hands and opened it. The golden-eyed boy pulled out cards, that he promptly threw down on the ground before he smirked, pulling out Euros. "Hah! I knew that bloke was to rich for his own good."

He stared at the boy in amazement, who lifted his head. "Aren't 'ou going to go?"

"No. I-I guess not." He stammered slightly. The boy eyed him curiously before he smirked. "What's 'our name?" Severus didn't answer for a while, before saying in a hurt tone of voice. "You wouldn't want to be friends with me, I'm a freak."

The golden-eyed boy laughed again. "I don't think you're a freak. You're pretty good on your feet and what you did back there, rather than handing it back to the man, you ran." He ran a hand through his shaggy black hair. "That proves a lot to me."

Severus didn't expect this praise. "I-I'm Severus. Severus Snape." He said quietly.

The boy held out a hand. "I'm Jex. Jex Jagged." He took Jex's hand and they shook hands for a moment. Severus suspected Jex was a muggle. He didn't seem like he knew magic. "Aren't you the kid who lives down by the river?" They were silent for a while. Severus took the moment to look his first friend over. He wasn't dressed properly. Well, no that was different. He wore everything but Jex's clothes were old and looked too small for him. Jex's shoes looked as if he had been wearing them for a long time because they were breaking apart. Severus thought about his Mother for a moment. He checked the watch he had on. It was almost 12! "I have to go!"

Jex blinked. "Alright? I'll see you around?"

He didn't give him a chance to say anything else, Severus grabbed his newfound friend's arm and pulled him along. Jex struggled and broke from his grasp. "Where are we going?" He quickly pointed to the entrance to the park, where his mother was waiting for him. Jex looked at him before looking back at the alley they had left. Severus had already walked forward, towards his mother. Jagged probably was trying to decide whether or not to follow.

And he did.

Jex came up a little but stood back with a wary expression. "Who's your friend Severus?" The golden-eyed boy walked forward, thrusting his hand forward. "I'm Jex." Severus watched his mother exchange small words with Jex before saying, "Where's your mother?"

Jex shook his head, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I don't got one, neither do I got a father."

Severus watched something war on his Mother's face before she smiled. "I think I bought enough food for all of us."

Jex was taken aback by the kind gesture, but he smiled nevertheless. "Thanks but I have to go anyways. I need to buy me some new clothes." His mother seemed to frown at this, but said nothing to Jex. Jex turned to Severus with a smirk. "I'll see 'ou around?"

Severus nodded.

Jex Jagged ran off, disappearing into the clothing store that his mother had been in earlier. Severus turned to his mother, who was looking at him with a frown. "Mum?"

"Yes?"

"Is Jex a muggle?"

"I'm not sure." His mother clasped her hands together with a thin-lipped smile. "No matter right now, lunch?"

* * *

**A/N: This is my take on Severus Snape's childhood. This is the beginning chapter, so suspect more in the future.**


	2. Chapter 2: Surprises

"So 'ou're telling me that 'ou're a wizard?" Jex asked with a certain gleam in his eyes. Severus didn't know whether it was curiosity or something akin to hatred. He still didn't even know if Jex was a muggle. It was all so confusing but Jex just found out because he had fallen from the tree, but Severus had somehow conjured up a pillow underneath him.

He slowly nodded. "Yes." He dared not look back at his friend.

The horrible silence ensued before there was a laugh. "Wow! A wizard! I thought all of that was bogus!" Jex cried with smile.

Something in the boy's eyes made Severus think though. He had known this muggle for months now. He had finally turned 10 and his friend was now 11. Jex was a great friend, but he felt as if the golden-eyed boy was hiding something from him.

"You aren't... You won't run?" He asked with a half-reassured smile.

"What? Why would I run? It's amazing! 'ou, a _wizard!_" Jex threw his hands into the air with a lopsided grin. "So is 'our mum and dad are magical too?"

"No. Just my Mum. My dad's a muggle." He replied, leaning into the tree they sat under.

"A muggle? Is that non-magic folk?" Jex asked tentatively.

Severus nodded. He was wondering if Jex was going to ask anymore questions but when the boy did open his mouth to speak, a loud, high-pitched word broke the air. "FREAK!" His golden-eyed companion skittered over to the opening of the tree, poking his head out.

"Hey Sevvy! Come look at this!" Severus took poked his head out, looking at where the sound was coming from.

He blinked. A girl with long, wavy orange-red hair was making up the hill towards them. She was being followed by another girl who called, "Come here! I'm going to tell Mummy! You're a Freak!" The girl stopped, looking back at the other girl who had stopped a little below them. Jex poked his head out of the other side of the tree, glancing down at the stringy-looking brown haired girl. "You're a freak Lily! Come here!" Her voice was commanding but shrill. Severus looked down at the girl with a piercing glare. Lily looked at him. Jex stepped out of the other side, staring down at the other girl.

Severus turned his attention to Lily, he bent down and picked up a weed. It fluttered out of his hand and into the hand of the girl's who took it with a small smile. He smiled back at her.

Jagged came bouncing over with his usual grin. "Who are 'ou?" He asked the girl.

She took a few cautious steps forward before responding. "I'm Lily. Who are you?"

Severus tilted his head. That was a nice name... "I-I'm Severus." He replied.

Jex put his hands behind his head, leaning back slightly. "My name's Jex. I should be goin', I got to go pick a few pockets for my dinner." Severus turned his head. His friend was leaving? That—That wasn't good! He looked back at Lily who was staring at him intently. "I'll see 'ou around Sevvy." Jex was gone down the hill faster than he could turn to look at him.

"Is he a _freak_ too?" Lily asked, she seemed uncertain of what to call herself. Now that she had seen him use magic... Severus shook his head. "No. Jex's a muggle. Well, I think so..."

"He doesn't think you're a freak?" Lily took a few steps forward, smiling though.

"Magical. We're magical not freaks." He corrected her. "I'm a wizard and you're a witch." He stated simply and held out his hand to her. Lily took a few more steps forward before taking his hand. "We're both special you see...?"

He led her away to the edge of the lake, where they sat down side by side. It was all silence for the longest while before he laid back in the cool feel of the grass, Lily followed suit. "She's jealous, because She's ordinary and you're special." He murmured. Lily looked at him. "That's mean Severus." They both looked up as the wind blew some leaves off a tree. Severus felt the magic in the air tense up as they both made the leaves fly away over the lake.

Lily giggle at this. Severus smiled more. This was a wonderful break and to have someone else who was magical nearby. He didn't mind his Mum, but he had felt that she'd be the only other witch around. Now he had Lily.

Jex was a good friend, but he was a muggle. He wouldn't seem him much after he left to Hogwarts... Jex would be stuck here, stealing and alone. Speaking of the muggle: Jex popped up suddenly looking down at the two, a grin on his face. "Guess what?" Severus and Lily jolted up and looked at him.

Severus sniffed, "What is it?" He asked.

"'ou'll never guess what I snatched!" He was grinning ear to ear. Lily gasped at him.

"You _steal_?" Lily looked surprised, her jaw dropped and she was staring at him with eyes wider than saucers.

Jex looked affronted. "I don't _steal_, I _snatch_ for my survival..." Lily's face was now holding the expression of horror.

"Don't you have parents to take care of you?" She asked, clasping her hands together. Severus could understand her. He had reacted the same way, well sort of. Jex didn't have a family of his own so his Mum had decided to incorporate him into the Snape family. Their Father had even accepted him. His father wasn't terrible to them all the time. It was just getting worse at the factory. His father would smile at him and welcome Jex to the dinner table. "Not exactly. Sevvy's 'rents have been very kind to me." Lily nodded. "Well I best be of lest my parents get scared for my safety..." The red-haired girl smiled at them both before they watched her take off. Jex turned to Severus. He looked back at his golden-eyed muggle friend. "We best be going to 'our house. We have dinner to answer to." As if cue, his stomach rumbled quite viciously as if saying, "Thank you! Finally someone's noticed!".

They quickly walked away from the lake, taking note of where they were exactly before trotting back to the house. His Mum welcomed them both in and his Father gave a throaty, somewhat happy grunt to them. They quickly sat down at the table and they prayed. Jex took the food with an excited glance. "Mmm! This is really good Mrs. Snape!" Severus watched his mother smile at his friend.

"So what have you been up to boys?" Tobias asked them, looking sternly at Jex who grinned sheepishly. Severus picked a bit at his food but ate.

Jex replied first: "Well, I hung out with Sevvy for a while until we ran into two girls!"

Severus ducked his head. Lily was very nice to him. She was cute even... "Then she and Sevvy hung out for a while. I went off to _make_ some money." Jex suddenly after finishing his explanation, blinked and asked. "What time it is?" He seemed a bit nervous.

"It's 7:34, why?" His mother asked with a slight frown. Jex pushed away from the table. "I have to go!"

Severus cried out, "Where are you going?" He blurted it out more or less. It had peeked his interest. Jex never left dinner halfway through. Jex looked like he was panicking. His golden gaze was fleeting, a wisp of his voice left behind. "I have to meet up with a friend!"

He was gone again. He looked down and blinked. "He left his thing." He murmured. His mother stood and picked up the black case. It looked like a violin case. "We'll leave it out for him to get."

Severus nodded. _Why did he snatch a violin case?_ What other friend did he have? He pushed away from the table. "Can I go out for a little bit longer?" His Father and Mother exchanged glances before they both nodded. "Of course sweetheart." He quickly ran out the door, shoving on his black coat with out even saying thanks. He surveyed the area quite quickly before spotting Jex. He was running towards the town. Why? Severus darted after him. Where was he going? Jex usually spent the rest of the day after dinner in his abandoned house.

He had never been inside because the front door had stuff behind it that kept it from moving inwards. He and his Father had made the mistake of trying to go see him. They had pulled the door off its hinges and they found that roofing had collapsed in above the entrance.

He had only caught a small glimpse of the place, because Jex had suddenly showed up and shooed them off, angry that they had tried to invade his privacy. Even his Mum had been mad at them. She had scolded them, _If someone doesn't invite you to their house, they usually don't want you over! Although Jex is a very different case, he's very secretive and he has a right to be! Don't go meddling in stuff you don't know of!_ He knew he was over stepping his boundaries but... He really wanted to know what had made Jex panic so.

Severus ran after him but kept to the shadows, Jex wasn't paying much attention until he got closed to town. He gradually slowed down and then kept a wary eye on things. Severus had a harder time trying to stay hidden. He stopped when his friend stopped. Jex turned around. He dove behind a trash can, peering at him as his friend then turned into a pub.

Why a pub? Kids weren't allowed in the pub! Seconds later, he came back out with an older man following him. Well, he wasn't old, old... He was young but pale. It made him and Jex look like a fake vampire. The man was dressed in a suit and he was quietly speaking to Jex. Severus shrunk into the shadows as they began to pass. "So you're friend doesn't suspect that you're a wizard? Why are you so afraid of telling him?"

"Well, it's just that... He might find me freakier than him. I've always been really good at magic. I practically excel at it." Jex murmured in response and slumped as he walked. "I've had mastery of my magic for a long time, I don't want to tell him because I think he'll hate me because I'm better than him."

Severus stared at their backs. Jex was a wizard? Why had he never told him? He suddenly ran forward and called out to Jex. "Hey! I don't think you're a freak, no matter what!" The older man turned around calmly, a smirk on his face was knowing. Jex turned to face Severus. His friend was warring between anger and surprise. "S-S-Severus! Why did 'ou...?" He summoned a deep breath, suddenly seeming taller than him and he was towering over him. Sev shrunk in place. "Why did 'ou follow me?" His friend hissed.

His golden gaze was intimidating. The man placed a hand on Jex's shoulder and spoke, "It's alright Jex, you'd have to tell him sooner or later." Jex relaxed at this and frowned. "I guess 'ou're right." His friend straightened his dark clothing and rolled his shoulders. "Sorry Sevvy, it's just I was afraid of what 'ou'd think..."

Severus was a little mad that Jex had withhold the truth from him but smiled slightly at him. "No worries, My mum told me that you were secretive and liked to keep to yourself, so I understand."

Jex brightened a bit. "So, 'ou're okay with it?"

Severus shoved his hands into his pockets, still smiling a bit. "Yeah. I'm okay with it, but shouldn't you be at Hogwarts?"

Jex laughed slightly, a real laugh. Severus had never heard his friend laugh truly, it had always been forced. "Yeah. Hogwarts, I'm going next year. With 'ou and Lily..."

"But...?" He protested.

"I sent a letter back to Professor McGonagall, she sent a owl back to tell me that it was fine because I had to get an education anyways and she understood my want to stay with friends." Jex explained quickly. The man beside him chuckled and sighed. "Minerva..." The man whispered with a slight grin before he turned to Severus. "I don't believe I've met you."

Severus extended his hand timidly. "I'm Severus."

The Man shook his hand lightly. "I'm Tom Riddle. You can call me Tom if you want."

He looked at Tom, who seemed quite content with himself. Tom let his hand go and huffed, pulling out a timepiece. "I've got to go, you two take care now." Then with a –_snap_- Tom Riddle was gone.

Severus looked at Jex who shrugged a bit before they walked off, back towards their homes.

* * *

**A/N: What if they knew Riddle aka Lord Voldemort himself at a young age?**


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